Life--Wisdom: The Quest for Ultimate Truth in the Perspective of Human Civilization and the Enlightenment of Traditional Buddhism
Xiongwei Li
January 15, 2026 DOI: 10.14293/pr2199.002796.v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Keywords | Existentialism Rationality Ignorance Enlightenment Consciousness Morality Relevance law Epistemology Civilization Speculation |
| Key points | Argues that the Dharma of traditional Buddhism provides a cognitive framework for realizing ultimate truth by purifying the cognitive mechanism through threefold training, and calls for a 'Second Enlightenment' that applies critical rationality to the cognitive process itself. |
Abstract
Abstract This paper begins with humanity's universal quest for ultimate truth and proposes four core criteria for its identification: logical consistency, practical verifiability, explanatory transcendence, and existential eternity. Using these criteria, it systematically examines the contributions and inherent limitations of theistic belief, modern science, and philosophical speculation in this pursuit. The paper argues that the Dharma of traditional Buddhism—particularly as preserved in the Theravāda tradition, with its law of Dependent Origination ( Paṭiccasamuppāda ), theory of Karma, and analysis of Nāma-Rūpa (mind-matter phenomena)—provides a revolutionary cognitive framework to transcend these limitations. Rather than constructing another external model of truth, this framework facilitates the realization of Nirvana through deep purification of the cognitive mechanism itself via the threefold training of morality ( Sīla ), concentration ( Samādhi ), and wisdom ( Paññā ), thereby cutting off the cyclic drive of ignorance ( Avijjā ) and karmic action. Furthermore, the paper engages in an interdisciplinary dialogue between Buddhist concepts of time, collective karma, and modern scientific fields (e.g., quantum mechanics, complex systems theory, consciousness studies), demonstrating Buddhism's contemporary relevance as a rigorous "cognitive empirical science." Finally, it calls for a "Second Enlightenment: the Awakening of Cognition," advocating a turn of critical rationality and empirical rigor inward, toward the cognitive process itself, as a profound path to resolving individual existential dilemmas and collective civilizational crises.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
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- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Meditation and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Journal of the American Heart Association September 28, 2017
- Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies. Psychological Bulletin March 2006